


Superman

by ComposerofDiscord



Category: Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-11
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2019-02-13 11:08:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12982761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ComposerofDiscord/pseuds/ComposerofDiscord
Summary: Sometimes Hernan wasn't sure if he really was Superman.Written as an accompaniment forSdeeyssmallcomic. Thank you for making my feel-rambles come true <3





	Superman

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SDSlanderson](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SDSlanderson/gifts).



“Earlier today another bomb threat in Metropolis Metro was nullified by Superman. Witnesses report that Superman broke through the top of the train car where he confronted the assailant. The bomber, as MPD have identified as Chris Richards, informed Superman that the bomb would go off if his heart stopped. It was then that Superman had shot his laser vision through the assailant’s skull, which resulted in a non-consensual lobotomy.

“I ask you this, Metropolis, what is the difference between taking away a person’s freedom of choice and simply killing them like Superman had the last bomb threat to the city? Is this man really Superman, or is he just another tyrant? This has been Lois Lane, reporting to you from the Daily Plan—”

The screen turned black.

Hernan couldn’t listen to anymore of it. He couldn’t… his hold on the remote tightened, but he refrained from breaking it. He had done so before, and as punishment, Kirk has made Hernan walk down to the store to buy another one.

After this particular report, Hernan didn’t want to see anyone.

She was wrong.

Hernan had tried to talk to the man. He had tried to speak reason to him, to find another way to disable the bomb without injuring anyone. But the man had his hand on the trigger ready to fire, and had his heartbeat changed its rhythm drastically from either inflicted pain or sudden death, the bomb would go off.

He had no other choice. He couldn’t have… he set the remote down.

He huffed.

Remote.

A device of control and yet Hernan felt like the only control he had was that of the TV. Everything else slipped through his fingers.

He was the strongest man alive, and yet he didn’t have the strength to control – to stop the world from spiraling into chaos. How did Atlas do it? How did Atlas hold the world upon his shoulders so that the rest of man could thrive?

He wasn’t Atlas. He wasn’t strong. He wasn’t Superman. Superman wouldn’t have taken away a man’s free will. Superman wouldn’t have killed a child.

She was right.

“She’s wrong you know.” Kirk, who had been sitting silently beside Hernan the whole time, finally spoke up.

Hernan huffed once more, as he wasn’t strong enough to hide his self-deprecating smile.

Kirk saw right through it. Behind those red lenses, Kirk’s eyes saw right through him and once again, he felt so powerless.

“Hernan.” Kirk’s voice was steady. “What you did for me ten years ago on the dock, the compassion you showed me, is what made you Superman in my eyes.”

Hernan averted his gaze, but a gentle hand upon his cheek drew his attention back.

“The things you continue to do for the world, is what makes you Superman. The fact that you worry about your own power, is what makes you Superman.” Kirk said with a tone of conviction Hernan rarely heard from his mild-mannered friend.

“You are no tyrant; you are Superman.”

His lips moved to form words of denial, but what slipped was a broken cry. What Hernan didn’t understand was that Atlas didn’t carry the world upon his shoulders. What he held was man’s hopes, dreams, sins, and love. What he held was the future of everyone, and that would break anyone, even a god.

But Luckily, unlike Atlas, Hernan wasn’t alone. The way Kirk drew Hernan to him was proof of that. He didn’t have to bear the weight by himself. Kirk would be there with him. He always would be, for to Kirk, Hernan was the most human out of all humanity.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Okay, so this is all Enrique Iglesias’s fault! I was perfectly happy and fine, until his song, [Hero](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb6thMzC0x8), came on the radio, and I cried about all my superhero pairings and this idea came along. I cried my feelings into the Superbat discord chat as usual, and the wonderful [Sdeeys](http://sdeeys.tumblr.com/) decided to art it, and then I decided to actually write it out. So this is for her/this is for you friend (if you’re reading this). 
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone else for reading, and as always, take care!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Comic]Superman](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13564848) by [SDSlanderson](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SDSlanderson/pseuds/SDSlanderson)




End file.
